South Africa have had a torrid time in the Test series so far, going into the final match 0-2 down. All they can do now is ensure they finish their tour of India on a high, with a consolation win. The Proteas skipper, Hashim Amla, is keen to do that.
“We have the England series coming up very close, so it is very important for us to get back to the winning ways,” Amla said. “Every Test match is very important; there are no freebies in Test cricket. Every match you play for your country, you want to win it. It is very important for us to take it to 2-1 and salvage some pride in the series. We had a successful T20I and ODI series and it would be nice to cap off the tour with a win in the final Test.”
Despite losing two Tests in the series inside three days, Amla is certain his team will go into the Delhi Test with the same motivation and preparation.
“The team’s preparation has been very good. Whatever happened in the last match (in Nagpur) will not leave any tattoos on the team. It was a difficult Test match, for India as well as for us. Going into this match, we have tried to prepare as best as we can,” he said.
The major reason for South Africa’s loss is their batting, which has failed to come good throughout the series. Amla said this difficult tour will be a good learning curve for his batsmen.
“It is a lovely challenge. It is very exciting facing good bowlers on a difficult pitch,” he said. We have been here many times but it has been very challenging this time. The scores have been very low and so the Tests have finished inside three days. But it has been exciting three days.
“The thing with wickets like this is that you are never quite in. You can scratch around to make some runs but you will get a very good ball that will get you out. After this tour the guys will take a lot of experience out of it. That is the beauty of travelling overseas and playing in difficult conditions,” he said.
Amla also confirmed that Dale Steyn hasn’t yet recovered from his groin injury, and will not play in the fourth Test.
